In recent years there has been a strong desire on the part of the consuming public to eat foods that are intended to enhance health and prolong life. As a result of numerous studies related to diet and public health, consumer foods low in total fat and cholesterol are in demand. Among the food compositions which have been developed in response to this increased demand are mayonnaise spreads that are low in fat or are fat-free and pourable salad dressings similarly low in fat. In addition other types of low fat or fat-free food compositions, such as desserts, including cakes, custard desserts, pies, and so forth, have also been developed.
Eggs are often used in conventional food product. Unfortunately, eggs are rich in fats, lipids, and cholesterol; these components are found primarily in the egg yolk. Mayonnaise spreads, certain types of salad dressings, and desserts such as custards and puddings generally contain eggs. Although many food compositions can be made by eliminating eggs, especially the egg yolks, the resulting food compositions are generally adversely affected. For example, the elimination of eggs often results in poorer flavor, texture, and odor. Thus, such food products resulting from the simple elimination of eggs have generally not received high acceptance by consumers.
Numerous attempts have been made to provide such foods with acceptable organolrptic properties and/or to treat eggs or egg products to make more acceptable to diet or health conscious consumers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,844,470 to Akerboom et al. relates to pasteurizing egg yolk material at higher temperatures and for longer periods without causing significant denaturation changes in the egg protein, and to the use of pasteurized egg yolk so obtained in edible dressing compositions that are less susceptible to microbiological spoilage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,202 to Wenger et al. relates to a process for sterilizing an aqueous egg yolk slurry wherein the slurry is acidified to pH values less than 6.0 and then sterilized under ultra high temperature conditions, specifically temperatures from 128.degree. C. to 155.degree. C. A process for preparing sterilized food products containing the sterilized egg yolk is also disclosed.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,808,425 and 4,957,760 to Swartzel et al. disclose a method of ultrapasteurizing a liquid whole egg product in a continuous flow system. U.S. Pat. No. 5,019,407 to Swartzel et al. relates to pasteurizing a liquid whole egg product by separately heating a stream of egg yolks and a stream of egg whites to different temperatures and then recombining the streams. An apparatus for carrying out this process is also disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,238 to Huang relates to a process for treating egg white or whole egg using microwave radiation, thereby rasing the temperature to 185.degree. F. without significant thermal gelation. The patent also relates to the products obtained using this process. The patent states that the process causes the products to be virtually bacteria-free and to have extended shelf life under refrigeration.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,707 to Schoenberg relates to a low oil mayonnaise composition in which egg yolk is used as an emulsifier. U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,543 to Lee et al. relates to a process for preparing a flavorant with the flavor of cooked meat that comprises heating an aqueous mixture of a phospholipid and a sulfur-containing compound. The phospholipid may be from egg yolk.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,728 to Rapp relates to an improved method of pasteurizing liquid egg product in which an organosulfur compound is added to the liquid egg product in an amount that is effective to reduce coagulation under the heating conditions employed.
U.S. Pat. 5,314,706 to Colarow et al. relates to a heat-stable oil-in-water emulsion containing oil egg yolk and soybean lysophosphatidylcholine. The emulsion may include further ingredients for preparing sauces, mayonnaises, or salad dressings.
There remains a need for a source of enriched egg flavor that minimizes the content of undesired components of the egg such as fat and cholesterol from the flavoring composition. There is likewise a need for food compositions that contain enriched egg flavorings that minimize the content of unwanted components of eggs. There is furthermore a need for methods of obtaining enriched egg flavorings from eggs that may be used in preparing egg-flavored food compositions, and furthermore there is a need for methods of preparing egg-flavored food compositions that minimize the inclusion of components such as fat and cholesterol present in whole eggs. The present invention provides such compositions and methods.